Other Income Supports:

Providing knowledge of the Sources Rent Bank, Tax Benefits, and Federal Public Pensions (such as Canadian Pension Plan, Old Age Security, and Guaranteed Income Supplement). There are a variety of resources concerning these subject under the Other Income Supports FAQ, Videos, as well as Resources page.

More Information:

Providing basic information, resources, and fact sheets on the public pension programs of Canada. We will be focusing on the Canada Pension Plan (CPP), Old Age Security (OAS) and related benefits, and Canadian Pension Plan Disability. All of these services are offered by the Canadian government and more information can be found at the Government of Canada website.

Disclaimer: The CPP operates throughout Canada, except in Quebec, where the Québec Pension Plan (QPP) provides similar benefits. Please contact Retraite Québec for information on pensions and benefits under the QPP.

Canada Pension Plan (CPP)

The Canada Pension Plan is a federal program which provides contributors with a source of income in the case of retirement, disability or death. The regular contributory period is from 18 years to 65 years old. The standard age of retirement is 65, but contributors may apply for reduced CPP payments as early as 60 or for increased payments if their benefits begin after the age of 65.

Note: Residents of Quebec contribute to the QPP instead of the CPP. People who have contributed to both plans will have all contributions considered regardless of which plan they apply for.

Eligibility

Applicants should ensure that they meet the eligibility requirements before applying for CPP, which are:

• turning 60 within 11 months
• having worked in Canada
• having made at least 1 CPP contribution

The applicant will begin receiving CPP payments within 12 months of submitting their application if approved.

Old Age Security (OAS)

Canada’s Old Age Security program features two types of payments: pension payments which are taxable and benefit payments which are not taxable. It is possible to request federal income tax to be automatically deducted from monthly pension payments by filling out Form ISP3520. Alternatively, recipients may set up quarterly installments by contacting a CRA tax office.

The 3 types of OAS benefits are:

Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS)

Allowance

Allowance for the Survivor

To be eligible for OAS pension payments, the applicant must:

Be 65 years or older

Be a Canadian citizen or legal resident at the time of applying

Have resided within Canada for at least 10 years after turning 18.

If the applicant is living outside of Canada, then they must have been a citizen or resident the day before they left and had resided in Canada for at least 20 years after turning 18.

Rent Bank

The Sources Rent Bank services residents of Surrey, White Rock and Delta whose income is below the federal government’s low income threshold. It is a program with the aim of providing families with loans to prevent homelessness due to one time unexpected circumstances. The loan may only be used for either rental or utility arrears, and in some special cases, damage deposits or first month’s rent.

To be eligible for a loan, the applicant must not be unable to pay their rent due to irresponsible spending. Furthermore, the applicant must show that they have the means to repay it, meet the eligibility criteria, and provide 3 months of bank statements, picture ID and a tenancy agreement.

The maximum loan available is $1,200 for a single person and $1,600 for a family with a maximum payback period of 24 months. Extra fees include a one time application fee, and a monthly processing fee. You can apply for the Sources Rent Bank Loan program by completing the Rent Bank Loan application and submitting 3 months of bank statement .

Download the form here or pick one up at the Sources Newton Resource Centre (address below). Once completed, submit the application and 3 months bank statements to Sources Newton Resource Centre, by fax at 604-596-2319 or email it to srb@sourcesbc.ca.

Canada Pension Plan FAQs

The Canada Pension Plan (CPP) benefit is a monthly payment based on your contributions. Every working person over the age of 18 in Canada outside of Quebec earning more than $3,500 per year (a minimum amount ) has to contribute to the Canada Pension Plan (CPP). If you work for someone, you pay half the required contributions and your employer pays the other half. If you are self-employed you make the whole contribution.

Service Canada keeps a record of your earnings and the contributions you have made usingStatement of Contributions. Everyone can check this statement for accuracy and contact Service Canada if you disagree.

60 – 64 years of age is considered early retirement when one can take a reduced CPP pension

65 is the standard age for beginning to received CPP

Note: By choosing to start your pension before age 65, your make this reduction permanent! The amount will not increase when you reach age 65!

65 – 70 years of age will allow an individual to take an increased pension

The amount of your pension will depend on how much and for how long youhave contributed to the CPPand the age of which you want your pension to start. An individual will receive a 7.2% reduction for every year their pension begins early and an increase of 8.4% for every year their pension begins late.

You can apply a maximum of 12 months before the date you would like your pension to start.

If you are 65 years plus 1 month or older, you can request retroactive payments for a maximum of 11 months, or back to your 65th birthday plus 1 month—whichever is shortest.

It is important to consider a number of things before deciding when to take CPP. To help you make a more informed decision, consider the following:

The age when you plan on taking CPP will affect your monthly pension (as indicated above)

In addition to your CPP application you can apply (or you might be asked to apply by Service Canada) for other CPP benefits and provisions such as:

Pension sharing You may be eligible to share your CPP retirement pension with your spouse or common-law partner.

Credit splitting The CPP contributions you and your spouse or common-law partner made during the time you lived together can be equally divided after a divorce or separation.

Child-rearing provision You may be eligible to increase your CPP retirement pension if you had zero or low earnings because you were the primary caregiver raising your children.

Foreign benefits If you have lived or worked in Canada and in another country, or you are the survivor of someone who has lived or worked in Canada and in another country, you may be eligible for pensions and benefits from Canada and/or from the other country.

Survivor benefits If you are the estate, surviving spouse, common-law partner or child of a CPP contributor, you may be entitled to receive CPP survivor benefits.

Canada has international Social Security Agreements with over 50 countries. For an individual who has worked in another country, it will help you qualify for pensions or benefits from Canada and/or from the other country if:

• You have worked in Canada and made at least one valid contribution to the CPP; and
• You have valid periods in a partner country that are creditable under the legislation of that country.

Click herefor more details on international social security agreements.

Yes, you can share your Canada Pension Plan retirement pension with your spouse or common-law partner. To do so, you must be receiving your pension, or be eligible to receive it, and be living with your spouse or common-law partner. Sharing your pension may result in tax savings.

You must apply to share your pension.

There are two ways to share a pension:

If only one of you contributed to CPP youcan both share the one pension.

If both of you contributed, you and your spouse / Partner may receive a share of both pensions. The combined total amount of the two pensions stays the same whether you decide to share your pensions or not.

The portion of your pension that can be shared is based on the number of months you and your spouse or common-law partner lived together during the period that you both contributed to CPP. This period is the time when either one of you could have contributed to the CPP.

If you and your spouse or common-law partner are already receiving a CPP pension, you do not need to provide your SIN, only your original marriage certificate or proof of your common-law relationship is needed

Complete the pension sharing form on screen, print it and then mail it, with the necessary supporting documents, including any certified true copies, to the Service Canada office listed on the application form.

Can spouses or common-law partners who are separated apply?

Spouses or common-law partnerscannot apply for pension sharingif they are voluntarily separated at the time of application.

If spouses or common-law partners separate after the pension sharing is approved, the following applies:

When the pension sharing involves CPP retirement pensions only, the pension sharing ceases the 12th month following the month in which the spouses or common-law partners start to live separate and apart.

When the pension sharing involves both CPP and QPP retirement pensions, the pension sharing ceases the earliest of, the 12th month after the spouses or common-law partners separated, or the month in which a legal separation took place.

The combined benefit is not the sum of the two pensions(the amount will depend on your contributions and working years).

Example: Marie is on CPPD. Her husband passed away 2 months ago. She applied for the survivor’s pension. Her amount now is the maximum disability benefit (which is more than the maximum survivor’s pension).

This only applies in situations when the contributions made by you and/or your spouse / partner can be equally dividedafter a divorce or separation even if one spouse or common-law partner did not contribute to CPP

Benefits of CPP credit splitting

• may help you qualify for CPP benefits
• can affect the CPP benefit amount for both you and your former partner
• depends on when you were divorced or separated
• if you re-married or are in a new relationship, you can still ask for CPP credits to be split with your former spouse / partner

If you are already receiving a CPP benefit, you can still request this provision. Complete thechild-rearing provision form, and mail it to Service Canada as indicated on the form.

What documents do I need to provide?

You must provide one of the following for each child:

The child’s name, date of birth, and Social Insurance Number; or

The child’s birth certificate (the original or a certified true copy)

You may also be required to provide proof of the date of entry into Canada for children born outside Canada.

Example

Julie was employed until her daughter Elizabeth, was born in 1983. Julie stayed at home with Elizabeth until she started school in 1989.

When Julie applies for her retirement pension in 2016 at age 65 and requests the child-rearing provision, the CPP will exclude the period from the month following Elizabeth’s birth in 1983 to 1990 in its calculation of Julie’s pension benefit amount.

Julie will receive a CPP retirement pension of $735 per month. Without the benefit of the child-rearing provision, her pension would have been $650 per month.

The Canada Pension Plan (CPP) survivor’s pension is paid to the individual who is the legal spouse or common-law partner at the time of death of the deceased contributor.

If you are a separated legal spouse and the deceased had no common-law partner living with them, you may qualify for this benefit. The amount you receive as a surviving spouse or common-law partner will depend on:

A statement of contributions shows your total Canada Pension Plan contributions for each year and the earnings on which your contributions are based. It also provides an estimate of what your pension or benefit would be if you and/or your family were eligible to receive it now.

How to get a statement of contributions?

If you have a “My Service Canada Account”, you can view and print your statement of contributions from your account. Otherwise, you can contact Service Canada at 1-800-277-9914 and request a copy.

You become entitled to an Old Age Security (OAS) pension by living in Canada for at least 10 years after the age of 18. The OAS pension starts at the age of 65 and are paid from the general Government of Canada funds. (no contributions needed)

To receive a CPP retirement pension, youmust have worked and made contributions to the Canada Pension Plan. Both you and your employer make equal contributions. If you are self-employed, you pay both portions. The CPP retirement pension can start as early as 60 or as late as 70.

If you are not eligible for a loan, we may be able to assist in providing other income supports and resources. We will try our best to find another community resource that will be able to better assist you.

The loan repayment is on a monthly basis and withdrawn through pre-authorized payments through your bank account. The payback is calculated based on the loan terms and the amount borrowed. The maximum loan term is 24 months. There is no interest on the loans, only a small processing fee each month and an initial application fee. Both these fees are calculated in to your monthly pay back.

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Ask an Advocate

Ask An Advocate provides basic and clear information about income assistance and other income support programs, disability benefits (provincial and federal), and tenancy; as well as to empower people to self-advocate.